Kanthamalai and Ponnambalamedu

Can u clarify about sacred ponnambalamedu and kanthamallai. Is there is any temple over there ?

- a devotee

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Kanthamalai and Ponnambalamedu - both are two different entities..

As Ive already explained it here

Sastha Temples and Shat Chakras

http://shanmatha.blogspot.com/2010/08/six-sastha-temples-and-shat-chakras.html

Kanthamalai is not a place which exists in the physical plane. Its like Kailasam and Vaikuntam... they exist but you cannot see them...

Sasthru lokam is known as Tejovathi or Mahakaalam and at this Sasthru lokam- the hill in which the Lord resides is known as Kanthagiri or Kanthamalai. 

Kanthamalai is a place which exists in the Sukshma Plane and cannot be seen with the naked eyes.. 

It is in this Kanthamalai the Supreme Lord Maha Sastha resides with Poorna and Pushkala, His eternal consorts and all his devotees reach this FINAL ABODE and worship him there...

Just like we say "Sri rangam" as Bhooloka Vaikundam and Chidambaram as Booloka Kailasam - Since one cannot reach here directly,  some people consider Ponnambalamedu to be the Kanthamalai of Bhoolokam..

But please be clear Kanthamalai is totally different... Ponnambalamedu is one among the eighteen hills that surround Sabarimalai...

Ponnamblamedu - the mound of pon ambalam - Golden Temple....

It is the most sacred and divine place... The spot is very sacred and the divinity charged there in the atmosphere is beyond imagination..

The rahasya behind is - it is actually the spot where Parasurama installed the Adhi Moolasthanam - Temple of Sastha (Which probably might have been in Gold - as the name suggests)

Later during the historic age, this temple was destroyed and looted by a dacoit named Udayanan..  during this time the advent of Ayyappa took place who annihilated Udayana and instructed the then Pandalam Raja to construct the Dharma Sastha temple - the present temple - where it is situated now. When the temple was rebuilt - Ayyappan finally merged with the jothi which appeared at Ponnambalamedu

(I am not elaborating this wonderful history of Sabarimala and Arya Kerala Varman here.. If devotees are interested to read please let me know - I shall write the detailed story as a series later)

Few years ago, when I was doing research for my book Shri Maha Sastha Vijayam - while discussing with Shri Viswanatha Sharma, he shared me his experiences there and showed me the photographs taken at the ponnambala medu..

We dont find any temple there now.. I was told that there were ruins of a temple- but nothing is to be seen now... today we see a yantram with "XX" beejam engraved there...

There is also a pond there named as Seetha Kulam and there is a cave just below the concrete platform - which is almost not reachable now... 

I personally have a feeling that apart from this concrete platform which is seen now the holy spot is elsewhere - but very closely located in the vicinity... 

And it is holiest of holy spots and it is not an adventure or testing the divinity.. so most of the devotees wont venture to go there...

Kaanthamalai vaasane Sharanam Ayyappa.... 

Ponnambala Vasane Sharanam Ayyappa...